Cal's gaze darted across the dimly lit cave, his lean form lowering to the cool stone floor. It was familiar. Elena followed, her violet eyes scanning their temporary sanctuary—a small alcove veiled by jutting rock and shadow. Outside, the cervidians stood sentinel, their massive antlers silhouetted against the crystalline blue as they contended with the small threats that prowled outside.

"Wasn’t expecting to be back here," Elena murmured, setting down her quiver with a muted clink of arrows.

Cal nodded, easing into a seated position. Elena brought out the snek and let it play with some treats.

“Do you trust them?” Cal nodded to the cave entrance.”

“Heh. These bros wear their hearts on their sleeves. I couldn’t find more trustworthy guys anywhere.” She paused. “Compared to them, you’re more mysterious.” The rest remained unsaid, but it implied untrustworthy.

Cal’s hand found its way to the snek coiled on the floor, fingers brushing over its scales, and strangely furry fox ears with an absent-minded affection. The creature tilted its head towards Cal's touch, tongue flickering in silent appreciation.

"So how does mana imprinting work," Cal said, his voice low, an undercurrent of curiosity threading through each word. "How does it bind us to... these companions?"

Elena leaned back against the cave wall, legs crossing as she watched him engage with the snek. "It's about resonance," she began, her tone measured, informative. "Your soul links with theirs, creating a tether of sorts. That's the link."

"What’s the point of that?" he probed further, eyes locked onto hers.

"Hmmm, I guess some people say different things," she replied succinctly. "Power for one. In a world where every breath could be your last, these bonds... they tip the balance. But some seek out companions for the companionship – our link with them gives them intelligence and in exchange they serve as our companions."

The snek nuzzled against Cal's palm, a living testament to Elena's words. He felt the budding intelligence - curious.

"Companion beasts," Elena continued, her violet eyes reflecting a depth of unspoken knowledge, "they're stronger than humans in certain ways. They’re a loophole within the system, an oversight, or perhaps they are intentional - who knows."

Cal frowned slightly, his gaze drifting from Elena to the snek. "What do you mean?"

"Unlike ghosts, people gain experience, evolve with time and trials through the system" she said, picking up a small stone and rolling it between her fingers. "Companion beasts are different; they don't naturally progress in the same way. But this 'flaw' can be exploited."

"Exploited how?" Cal's interest was piqued, his mind racing through the implications.

"You know how we use beast cores?" Elena asked, locking eyes with him once more.

He shook his head. "Yes."

"Beasts use the same process,” she paused. “Even when their master is connected to the system.”

“Feed them beast cores, and they absorb its power. It's nourishing. They grow and adapt specific attributes." She pulled out an intelligence / dexterity core and gave it to the snek to play with.

"If they are like ghosts, then their attributes can be adjusted to make them formidable allies," Cal surmised, the pieces of Elena's explanation clicking into place.

"Exactly," she confirmed. "Train them right, and they can outclass most human adversaries. In integrated space, that is."

"Sounds like a powerful advantage," Cal mused, looking down at the snek whose scales seemed to shimmer with a new significance.

"Potentially unmatched here, which is why eggs are so coveted" Elena agreed, a secretive smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “You don’t see these in unintegrated space. Maybe its different out here, but back there, I’ve never heard of a companion beast.”

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Cal settled against the cool cave wall, his gaze still fixed on the snek as it coiled comfortably around the beast core. The air was heavy with an earthy musk, and the distant sounds of the cervidians fighting outside filtered through the stillness.

"People use companion beasts for different purposes," Elena began, her voice echoing slightly off the stony interior, "they aren’t limited to a singular role." She plucked an arrow from her quiver, inspecting its fletching. "They can stand as tanks, absorbing damage; serve as ranged combatants, attacking from afar; heal their allies, or provide support."

"Support feels less... direct. What does that even mean?" Cal noted, running a hand along the snek's scales.

"Less direct, yes," she agreed, setting the arrow aside. "But think beyond the battlefield. A healer mends flesh, true. But a support? They strengthen the mind, shield the spirit, enhance abilities. They are the unseen force that turns the tide. It’s a unique advantage that works across the soul."

She continued, “you haven’t gotten any dao-bound skills yet, but they are powerful. You’ll understand more once you get one or two of them. The support ones are gamechangers – if it wasn’t for guideweave limit, many would stack them up.”

"Others don't see it this way?" Cal asked, watching as the snek's tongue flickered out, tasting the air.

"Temp, note the guideweave limit, we will have to ask about it later."

"Many focus on the tangible," Elena said, her violet eyes catching a glint of the dim light that filtered into the cave. "A blade's edge, an arrow's flight. But the link between beast and human is deeper than that. To ignore support is to forsake the full extent of this bond. There are multipliers with support skills."

“Huh”

"Think of our souls in the primal," Elena began, her fingers tracing the air as if sketching unseen diagrams. "Tethered souls means that intent can be shared across from your companion and directed to your aethercore."

“What does that even mean?”

“Basically, your companions can apply buffs to you because you are linked.”

“Why didn’t you just say that.”

Elena face-palmed.

"Anyways, basically it adds your companion’s dao-bound abilities to your own." The concept fell into place for Cal.

"Indeed." Elena reached out, letting her hand hover above the snek, feeling the thrum of energy. "The right evolution could grant you stealth akin to shadow, or strength to shatter stone."

"An invisible arsenal," Cal mused, his thoughts already leaping ahead.

"Exactly." Elena’s lips curved up slightly.

“Wow, then you’re really lucky here.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“But if both of you are essentially ghosts doesn’t that mean, neither of you can kill anything.”

“Well… yeah, but that’s why we have you, Mr. maniac!” She smiled provocatively.

Cal's gaze lingered on the snek, its scales shimmering with a spectral light that seemed to hum in tune with Elena's words. He pictured himself beside such a creature, not just as allies but as extensions of one another—each move, each breath a shared dance of survival.

"Cal, I suppose that would make you my companion beast," Temp’s voice interjected, an ripple in the Cal's consciousness.

Cal turned towards the sound, his brow arching in mild surprise. "huh?"

"Analysis suggests we share a similar symbiotic relationship. No? Though neither of us has any abilities yet.” The AI’s tone held a tinge of curiosity, a hint of exploration into its own emerging sentience.

"Companion?" Cal repeated, the word sounding foreign yet fitting. "You see me as your companion beast. Hahaha, ha.. haha… hmmm?"

"Affirmative, Cal Run. Our bond is unconventional, yet it aligns with observed dynamics. My existence is tethered to yours, and I am indeed shielding you from the system."

"Hmmm." Cal mused, the idea scaring him.

Cal shuffled closer to Elena. Elena sat opposite him, her knees drawn up, arms resting atop them. Their eyes met, and there was a stillness between them, a shared understanding that transcended their isolation.

"I would be lost out here without you," Cal admitted, breaking the silence with a voice roughened by the day's trials.

"We’re helping each other," Elena agreed, her violet eyes reflecting a depth of experience. "Out here, we need to."

"Thank you," he said after a moment, his tone genuine.

Elena's lips curved in a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Temp. You'll find your way. We both will."

Cal nodded, a sense of disingenuousness rose to the surface of his thoughts, and he considered sharing with Elena the true Temp.

Before he could, a rustle at the cave entrance cut through the hush of shared revelations. Cal's eyes snapped to the silhouette framed against the dying light, its antlers a stark crown against the dimming sky. The cervidians—guardians in their own right—had returned.

"Trouble?" Cal's voice was a low growl, muscles tensing for what might come next.

"Beasts continue prowling closer, bro. It’s a madhouse," came the clipped response from the Jaxon.

Elena rose, bow in hand, her movements fluid like ink spilling over parchment. "We’ll take the next watch."

"Agreed." Cal followed suit, standing, every sense attuned to the emerging whispers outside.

They moved to the cave mouth, side by side. Cal could feel the thrum of life beyond the rock, an undercurrent of danger that set his nerves on fire. A symphony of beast calls filled the air, each one a potential threat veiled in melody.

[Escalation, stage 2: Survive the entrapment of hungry predators. Time limit: 300 hours]